Oversight & Management Processes
At The Muller Company our key function in the construction process is to serve as an intermediary between the property owner and the building's tenants. Using the property owner's perspective we ensure that construction projects are properly budgeted for and are kept on track for completion. During the course of this role The Muller Company conducts the following:
- Presents ideas and cost estimates during budget planning and monthly meetings.
- Formalizes approval requests and provides explanations for the source of funds and pass through of costs to tenants.
- Provides in-depth project planning including monthly updates on the status of completion, opportunities for value engineering and costs analysis.
When working with tenants to complete an individual suite's build out or improvement, we involve and guide the tenant in every aspect of the construction process to ensure their expectations are exceeded. The process includes the following:
- Initial space planning meetings to determine the tenant's needs as well as establish dates critical for the project's completion.
- Provide the information needed to ensure a successful project in the form of cost analysis, allowances, what is included for a turn-key, building standards and more.
- Presentation of project cost estimate and invoice to tenants to comprehensively explain overage costs due up front or as specified in the lease agreement.
- Ensure close adherence to construction schedules so tenants understand when they need to make decisions on final space plans and finishes in order the meet their critical deadlines.
- Hold pre-construction meetings to involve all of the tenant's key players including the office manager, communications vendors, furniture consultants and more.
Herding Cats
Construction has been described as similar to "Herding Cats". You plan and you organize so you know what you are trying to accomplish but the path from here to there is always full of challenges. At The Muller Company, we understand how to get the job done when any of the following occur:
- Demolition reveals things that were not on the drawings.
- A critical delivery gets hung up in transit.
- An architect is giving direction that promotes his interests but maybe not the tenants.
- Anticipated financing dries up.
- "It" (whatever "it" might be this time) will not fit.
- "It" does not look right.
- The inspector does not care what the "approved" drawings say.
- The subcontractor really does not want to work this weekend.
- There has to be a less expensive way to do this.
- Murphy's Law gets in the way.
Getting the job done means being involved, available and most of all, responsive. It means being creative under pressure. It means knowing when to stand firm and when to bend. It takes the experience of having been there many times before. In short, you have to know how best to keep all the cats moving in the right direction but you also need to know how to round up strays. At The Muller Company, we understand herding cats.